Pages

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Peanut Butter Reindeer Cookies.

These might very well be the cutest Christmas cookies I've ever seen.

I love the chocolate antlers...

... and the adorable fat little faces.

It doesn't get any more festive or Christmasy than this. They're perfect for taking to a Christmas party if you need something fun, fast, and easy to make (unless, like me, you run out of both red M&Ms and chocolate-covered pretzels, but that's beside the point.).

I made these using just regular peanut butter cookies because I was having a craving only peanut butter could fix, but they would work just as well with sugar cookies... or even gingerbread!

Combine brown sugar, peanut butter, shortening, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

Form dough into 1-inch balls. To make reindeer-shaped cookies, pinch the bottom of the ball slightly to form a point, then gently flatten with your hand. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 7 to 8 minutes, until set or just beginning to brown.

Remove from oven and immediately (and gently) press two mini pretzels into the tops of the cookies for the reindeer's antlers. Press two mini brown M&Ms in for the eyes and one red M&M for the nose (or any other color... some of mine ended up with green noses. They might be South Pole reindeer.).

Allow to cool 2 minutes on the baking sheet and then transfer to a wire rack or paper towel to cool completely.

I don't think a 1/2 inch ball of dough would work. I used 1.5 inch dough balls and it was still hard to fit the antlers on. Also, the antlers did not stay in the cookies. It might have worked if the cookies were huge. : (

Yes, that is my experience. I started with a 1 inch ball, but think 1.5 to 2 inch ball would be better. My pretzels (although they were yummy) were way too big for my cookies and they didn't stand up. For the second batch, I put the pretzels flat. They look better, but I don't know what happens when I take them off the parchment paper to put them in a box.

Jenn: That sounds like so much fun to make these with a kindergarten class! You'll have write up a post on it if you do it.

Candace: I've changed the recipe to 1-inch dough balls. I forgot that I made them a little bit bigger than the recipe initially called for, but even with the smaller dough balls, the antlers still stayed in. Thanks for pointing that out though!

Anonymous: The pretzels I used were Keebler's Right Bites fudge pretzels. They came in a box with six snack packs, with about 8 or 9 pretzels in each pack. They seemed a little smaller than plain mini pretzels (which is why I used them), but I understand what you mean about the antlers not staying up. Since there were only so many fudge pretzels in the box, some of my cookies had regular pretzels for antlers, and those didn't stay up at ALL. But it should work if you're using mini pretzels, if you push them in right when you take the cookies out of the oven. Hope that helps.

Am in them middle of making these right now. I'm on my last tray and am pretty happy with how they are turning out. Just had a few problems I wanted to give other readers a heads up on. First I could. not. find MINI chocolate covered pretzels - just the standard kind, which were a little bigger than what you used. They still work, but they're a little too large for the 1/2 inch balls so I had to make my cookies a little larger. Also I couldn't find mini brown M&Ms. I thought about using brown decorating gel but this only works if you aren't going to be stacking/transporting them. I'm leaving the ones I plan on taking to work plain, with just the antlers and the red noses. The biggest problem I had was with the chocolate on the pretzels melting and the pretzels not staying up. It was very difficult to get them to stick up the way you did. Mine are kind of laying down/angled up so that part of the pretzel is in the cookie and the other is resting on the cooling rack. You definitely cannot put the pretzels on while the cookie is still on the sheet. Anyway, I hope this helps some other readers out there. I love this recipe and the reindeer are adorable, so thank you and Merry Christmas!!!

Michelle: I hope they turn out! I'm sorry you seem to be having so much trouble.

I used mini brown M&Ms that came in a regular mini M&Ms bag. We had a bunch left over from decorating sugar cookies, but regular M&Ms would work too.

When I put the chocolate antlers on, I stuck them in at an angle & they stayed put, maybe because they're smaller, like you said. The chocolate at the base of the pretzel got a little glossy, but it didn't melt. I was worried too about putting the M&Ms on while the cookies were still so hot, but I didn't have any problems.

And yes, for the record: 1/2-inch balls was a typo! I forgot to edit the peanut butter cookie recipe I always use to show the adaptions for the reindeers. 1 inch or 1 1/2-inch dough balls works much better. I'm sorry, everyone!

Thank you for sharing all your advice, Michelle, & I'm sure it helped some other people out. Have a Merry Christmas!

These are the cutest cookies I've ever seen. I made some for a party I went to yesterday, and they didn't turn out as cute as yours, but they were a big success. Thanks!http://misschessmanscakes.blogspot.com/

I found the mini chocolate pretzels at Target and the mini M&Ms at CVS (they come in a tube, in the aisle with all the Christmas candy.

I can't wait to make them this week :) I hope my antlers stay put! Thanks for the tips everyone. I bought the sugar cookie dough that is already pre-cut into squares. They look pretty chunky, so hopefully they are large enough. I'll post my results.

Were your cookies cracked when you took them out of the oven or did they crack when you pushed the candy in?

If they cracked when you took them out, maybe try making them a little bit bigger next time, with 1 inch or even 1 1/2-inch dough balls. That might help.

Did you flatten them with your hand after you shaped them into reindeer-face shapes? I only flattened them a little, til they were about a 1/4-inch thick, maybe a little more, just to ensure their shape. If you flattened them more than that, they might come out thin & cracked.

But if they cracked when you put the candy in, I think that's normal. A lot of my cookies had cracks around the M&Ms. Hope that helps some!

made these last night and they turned out great- at first i thought it might be a disaster as the cookies were so soft, the antlers seemed to be breaking them apart. but if you wait 30 seconds before adding the antlers, they stay in a little better. i also thought the chocolate melting helped them stay in better. also realized after the first batch that 1/2 inch balls could be right, as thee was no room to fit all the decorations on (wich i'd read the comments before making them!). thanks for the recipe!

Great insights.I look forward to reading what you're planning on next, because your post is a nice read, you're writing with passion. Really, i am thankful for the new things and i have learned reading from your post also picked up some great ideas.Thanks a lot.

I've been making these for at least 20 years. For a real quick fix you can use the ready to bake peanut butter cookies that come in a log. Just slice, pinch and add the embellishments. I've never used the chocolate covered pretzels, just regular mini pretzels. I'll have to try the chocolate ones. We always put everything on before baking which will cause the noses to crack and wouldn't work with the chocolate pretzels!

I need to say your website is really helpful Furthermore love the theme, its amazing!. I dont have much the perfect time to read your entire post currently but I’ve got bookmarked it plus opted in for your RSS feeds. I’ll be last a day or two. many thanks a fantastic site.learn technical analysis

I have extended understand any web logs anymore due to the fact too numerous personal blogs had been either boring or not current. Or at worst, each. Here it truly is different, the weblog is enjoyable and informative. Thankfully you will discover even now such internet sites on the net. Then yet again it can be worth browsing.SEO Training Delhi

Adorable! I take cookies to the christmas eve celebration I attend each year and have been looking for inspiration for this years cookies. I think these may be a winner! I'll have to do gingerbread though, we have a couple of people who're allergic to peanuts.

Hi! I am making these tonight, and since I didn't read any comments, I got regular "mini" pretzels, snyders, chocolate covered. I am making gingerbread cookies.

We used chocolate chips plopped in upside down for the eyes, and I bought some dark colored cookie icing for the nose and antlers to stay on. Waited until the cookie was cooled (went to the store while I waited) and now am having tremendous success getting them to stay. :)

I also am popping them right into the freezer as I complete each cookie. Works like a charm! I am bringing them to my high school homeroom students tomorrow and I am thrilled.

I made these last week and they are super tasty and cute! My only problem is figuring out how to have the cookies rise correctly. I used the Pillsbury premade dough--just to give this a trial run before a cookie party. Maybe that's the issue? Mine rise round, no matter how I shape them? Do I need to have the reindeers faces be thick? Will that help it to rise up rather than out?

I found mini and Christmas M & M's at our "Bulk Barn". It's a store where you buy things in...well... bulk lol. You scoop/bag it yourself etc.

I searched my entire city for the mini MINI chocolate pretzels. The bulk barn had what they call "mini" but they're not small enough. Finally found small bags about the size of a personal size bag of chips hanging in the chips/snack aisle of the grocery store. Not sure if they're sold year round or just around Christmas. They're called "Snyder's of Hanover Pretzel Dips" made with Hershey's dark chocolate. http://www.snydersofhanover.com/Products/Cid/5/Prid/248/

Oooh! My mother used to make me similar cookies when I was young and I have been looking for a recipe! The only difference is regular pretzels, and a little red-hot for the nose. I can't wait to try these!

Very useful article content. the information that you shown is amazing and most notably i liked the way you provided things here. Really, the concept is real time applicable and as per the current demand of the internet user society.

I made these tonight with my husband--luckily didn't end up with any cyclops or hammerhead reindeer:) We couldn't find mini chocolate covered pretzels, so we cut full-size ones in half and then cut the ends to make and antler shape and stuck those in. These are the cutest little cookies--thanks for the idea!! Some of the pretzels didn't cut very well and made bear-like ears, so I'm thinking of a chocolate version of this cookie and making bears! Thanks again, fun stuff!!!

These are so cute, thanks for the idea! Just finished making them for my daughter's preschool. I used "Flipz" mini choc pretzels found in candy section at our grocery store (Safeway). They worked great!

have to break the pretzels to keep them on.. otherwise so far so good... I like the idea of letting them cool first but I am making them tonight for cookie exchange tomorrow so don't have time.... got a late start.. ;)

This looks delicious and cute! I would love if you shared this in my holiday dessert recipes Blog Hop. Enter it for a chance at a Wilton Pre-Baked Gingerbread Cookies Decorating Kit! http://www.recipelionblog.com/december-blog-hop-holiday-dessert-recipes-giveaway/

Made these last night in a test run for next weeks cookie exchange. Thumbs up from the home front and the office gang! Used Wilton candy eyes and they really have personality!Oh, and they are super yummy too!

Made these for a holiday party tonight! They taste amazing! I couldn't find mini pretzels so I bought regular and large chocolate dipped pretzels and broke them up! They look a lot more like antlers too! :)

Hi, I just made these cookies tonight for a party & they turned out great! I used my own PB cookie recipe b/c I don't like using shortening. Since I didn't wanna go all over Timbuktu lookin for mini pretzels, I bought regular sized chocolate covered ones from Walmart (Snyder's brand) & cut them in halves to make them smaller. I simply used a sharp knife to cut them down the middle so they would still be symmetrical. And I used mini chocolate chips for the eyes b/c I couldn't find mini M&Ms.

Someone above commented that her's turned out too flat... well before going in the oven, I flattened mine just a little, they were still maybe almost 1/2" thick. Also, I always bake my cookies with the oven rack on the 2nd to the lowest position & they never come out flat that way. (They used to always be flat before I started doing that trick.) I followed Bakergirl's advice to put the pretzels in right after taking the pan out of the oven & it totally worked. It makes the chocolate glisten a little from the heat, plus helps them sort of glue to the cookie. By the time I had all the "antlers" in, I stuck the M&Ms in, then the chocolate chips, & I had no problems with anything melting all over. Hope that helps any of you!! :)

These were easy peasy, so cute, & delicious! Thanks so much for the idea!

i just finished making these but made them slightly larger- probably about an inch and a half sized ball- because of how large my pretzels were. I got about 23 cookies. (There would have been a few more if i hadn't eaten nauseating amounts of dough.) I didn't have a problem with the pretzels sticking; they seem to stay pretty well when they're put in at an angle rather than just pressing them straight down. And for the eyes I just used upside-down chocolate chips. These cookies are so cute, thanks for the recipe.

hmm, I have important question! I´m from Europe and we have different measurements. 1 cup = 250 ml or for every ingredients different? (e.g. for sugar brown 1 cup is 251 grams, for 1 cup shortening = 110 grams) thanks for quickly answer, I want to do this tommorow. Suzi

I'm making these tonight for my son's school party tomorrow. I could only find white mini mine pretzels though, so we're going to have snow covered antlers on our reindeer. Redhots for nose, and choc chips for the eyes. Can't wait!

I just made these and they look just perfect. I think the Right Bites pretzels were the secret...They are much smaller than any other pretzel that I have seen. My four year old is so excited about them. Thanks so much!!

I saw the photo of these cookies on my tumblr blog, while browsing through pages, and i was glad to find the recipe when i googled it. I am making these tomorrow :)... couldnt find darn mini brown m&ms. oh well. big eyed reindeer.. it was funny, i went to this store with bulk bins of m&ms and im there, picking out all the brown and red ones lol.. :D cant wait!.. I also think my chocolate covered antlers will be big, but oh well :D

I'm glad everyone's been enjoying making these, except for the few people who had problems with the antlers not sticking. Definitely try to use the 100 calorie packs (Keebler Right Bites) chocolate pretzels if you can... I've found those stick way better than regular pretzels or even regular-sized chocolate pretzels. Has anyone tried making these with sugar cookie or gingerbread dough? Feel free to leave pictures on my Facebook page! I definitely want to see all your creations. Merry Christmas, everyone, and thank you for leaving all these helpful tips!

I just made them with green eyes cause I could only find red and green mini M&m's this time of year. I gave one reindeer a red nose for Rudolph. My daughter and I made a Santa with the remaining dough and food coloring. Now he can lead his reindeer around the world :)

I made these yesterday and they came out really cute! I couldn't find any mini chocolate covered pretzels, where did you find them? All of the stores were sold out of holiday M&M's so I just used a bag of the regular sized and separated them by color. I also had to make the balls a little larger and that way one regular sized chocolate pretzel fit on tip, at an angle. The dough is delicious!

I merely made them along with eco-friendly eyes lead to I can only discover red-colored along with green little M&m's this time around of the season. My spouse and i offered one reindeer the red nasal regarding Rudolph. My child i developed a Santa with all the remaining cash and food color. Currently he can guide his / her reindeer around the world

I found your cookies on Pinterest, and included them in a guest post on Happy Hour Projects. It is a Christmas in July baking roundup. Your recipe is not posted, the link directs readers here. You can visit the post at http://www.happyhourprojects.com/2012/07/christmas-in-july-baking.html

Hi! I found your recipe and you via Pinterest. Love the peanut butter reindeer cookies. I have added them to my favorites. I have them on my site with a link back to you. I am going to follow you too.Pat

The ONLY way I could get my antlers to stay up was to put them on while the cookie was still on the sheet. Also, do all of the antlers first, then the eyes and noses. You have to buy the Keebler Right Bites pretzels - thank you so much for mentioning that in a comment. It would be worth editing the recipe and including that. Also, the mini M&M's are usually located by a cash register in a plastic cylindrical container. Buy 2 tubes and one medium (the bag is labeled that way) sized bag of regular M&M's in order to have enough red and brown. I ended up with some blue eyed and small nosed reindeer. Thanks for such a cute cookie idea!!

I made them and it took a little while for me to find a method, but I did! I found if I quickly and immediately put the pretzels and m&ms in, then place them in the freezer right after the chocolate on pretzels didn't melt off antlers. Also for my first batch I made a dozen at a time... that got sloppy and gave everything time to melt... so I found making 6 at a time was perfect. I didn't feel rushed and I had no more sloppy ones.

I found the mini pretzels called "Flipz" at Target. WalMart has pkgs of all red regular sized M&M's (cherry cordial) and pkgs. of multi colored mini M&M's. I've read the comments and hope my cookies turn out as cute as your photos for my family's annual cookie exchange. Thank you for posting. They look delicious and adorable.

Couldn't find the Keebler mini pretzels, but did find "Flipz" at Target and that was a good size. I have used 2 different cookie doughs (not peanut butter). One was a sugar cookie recipe; it was difficult to get the pretzels in because the top of the cookie was not very soft. The other recipe was a dark / spicy (molasses) recipe; it was easier to get the pretzels situated. I would recommend baking them on parchment paper, then carefully sliding the parchment paper and cookies off the hot cookie sheet onto a cold cookie sheet that is on a wire rack. That way, you can press a little harder to get the pretzels and M&Ms in.

Too cute is right.However, unless you want to waste a whole bunch of ingredients, don't even try to make these. The pretzels will not stand up unless you use super glue. What a waste of a Sunday morning.

I'm going to be making these...my kids will LOVE them! I might even do several varieties. I think you could get away with using cinnamon hearts for the noses if you did gingerbread!

Now I need to find mini m&ms and buy pretzels and more almond bark, because why buy premade when I can do my own rather simply? I was going to nix the chocolate-covered mini pretzels this year, but I believe I'm going to have to do them, just to have these cookies!

I'll bet you could do white chocolate covered pretzels, too, so your reindeer have "snowy" antlers.

Turned out great! I first made them in a stoneware pan I have but they didn't cook right. When I switched to the metal cookie sheet they turned out perfect. Mine needed closer to 9-10 mins to get to the right texture. Pretzels stuck great in the ones that cooked right. The key for me was not pressing the dough down too much. There was still a decent thickness to the dough before it went into the oven. I used chocolate chips as the eyes and pushed the pushed the pointy side down so they were round. I couldnt find the brown mini M&Ms. THey look great. Thanks for the post!

Okay, laughing our heads off. Made these reindeer cookies tonight because they are soooo cute. Well, the ones in the picture are. My 11 year old daughter and I kept trying different methods and never could get a reindeer that looked like these. We ended up with 10 different looking reindeer. We placed them on a cookie sheet, numbered each one, took a picture and sent it out to friends so they could vote for the best looking reindeer. The comments we've gotten are hilarious!! So, even tho our cookies didn't turn out like the picture, we have made quite a memory! Good luck to everyone trying these. lol

Mine came out fabulous! I used the little $0.98 boxes of Flipz you get in the theater candy bin at Wal-Mart for the antlers, got a candy cane-shaped tube of red and green M&Ms so I had enough red, and used the brown, green, and blue mini M&Ms. My only concern is if they will stay together when I put them in tins to give out. Thanks for the idea, I love these little guys!!!!

I just finished making these, they turned out so adorable and were really easy! Taste good as well (the pretzels are actually great with the peanut butter cookie dough), but I'm going to tinker with the cookie recipe because I'm really particular about peanut butter cookies. Like some others, I couldn't find mini pretzels, so used chocolate covered Flipz pretzels. Needed 2 bags to do all the reindeer. We got both milk and dark chocolate Flipz and thought the dark chocolate flavor stood up better against the peanut butter cookie.

My tips:-form the cookies on the pan so they look exactly how you want them to look. They don't flatten out any more in the oven.

-just put the pretzels on flat, and down low enough so they're supported a little by the rest of the cookie. I actually had no problem getting my full sized pretzels to stand up like in the photo, but it required more squishing of the cookie and they won't be as easy to stack for storage that way. I think they're cuter with flat antlers.

-put the antlers on ASAP! As soon as they come out of the oven.

-after they're all ready, put them somewhere cold so the chocolate on the antlers can set.

I have made these twice so far & they have been a big hit at parties! I couldn't find mini chocolate pretzels so used Flipz chocolate pretzels & it came out great. I stood them up touching the ends like an upside down V. I found mini M&M's at a nearby grocery (Fred Meyers) but hard to get only brown so it ended up w/different colors which turned out to be cute. I used parchment paper which was easy to slide off. I baked for about 7-8 min & immediately started off w/the antlers then worked my way to red nose then eyes. I will try putting it immediately somewhere cold to set as a few pretzels start to melt.

I made these today and they came out great. I used a small scoop to make them uniform size and I rolled them in sugar before baking them.As others have posted, do the antlers first. I only baked 6 at a time and got them done before they started to set up, then the eyes and nose.

If you're component of this specific creation and possess been having a complicated time period managing another identified freedom as well as using controlling the financial affairs, next you may want to look at a few of the points we've for you personally on this page. We know it is tough just to save in place in particular when you find yourself enclosed using folks who, exactly, are generally wasting still left along with right to manage to get their vagaries along with caprices. On the other hand, we would like one to create a number of steps rear along with view your life because objectively since you can along with visualize what exactly your life can be similar to in case you forge in advance using the method that you commit your hard earned money as opposed to protecting in place simply by lowering a few of the gratification you might be currently experiencing in order to avoid jogging to cash advance loan providers that may help you solve the financial problems down the road.text loans direct lenders UK

If you want to solve your fiscal catastrophes without making any kind of suspension, you may secure a loan advance and get cash. But if you are having bad credit status with you, you may face some denials by the lenders of instant loans lending companies. http://instantpaydayloanszone.co.uk/

Actually, Xmas is actually forward right now however absolutely no any kind of solitary cent inside your wallet therefore, what's going to you need to do in those days? Are you going to cease commemorate the actual Xmas celebration? Absolutely no never whilst anyway you'll set up the actual cash via you'll benefit from the celebration. Who'll end up being your own promoter which will totally assist you to from which scenario? Do not concerns you're going to get the actual help from which correct stage of your time therefore, which what ever lots in your mind individuals just about all is going to be decreased.

Certain target stores carry the Keebler 100 cal packs for the choc. Pretzels. I didn't have luck at my store,I bought Flipz at the grocery store and cut them in half. Each antler looked like a number 3 and then I stick the curved part in the cookie so three prawns stuck up.

Interesting idea Kara, I couldn't find mini pretzels either, so I too bought Flipz from Walmart. I will definitely be using the idea of cutting them in half. Making them tonight for the kids last day tomorrow. Thanks for the idea Kara!! :)

Made these for my daughters preschool singing day. There is a kiddo with a peanut allergy so I used a sugar cookie dough but used slightly less sugar and added in a few tablespoons of molasses to get the right brown/tan color. I found the tiny little pretzels at my local grocery store in a box of Special K 100 calorie snack pouches. I also used a bit of melted chocolate to 'adhere' the noses. Thanks for the super cute cookie!

Hi! These are adorable and I'd like to make them for me niece. I did a test batch (cookies minus the decoration) to get the flavor right, and they came out all crackle-y like gingersnaps. Any idea what I'm doing wrong that they aren't smooth?

These are great! The previous tip to wait 30 seconds before putting on the decorations was very helpful. Also, I tried taking the cookies off the cookie sheet before decorating and decorating while still on the cookie sheet. On the cookie sheet worked better, the other way I pushed the pretzels too far into the cookie and almost broke the cookie. Thanks for the fun idea -- the cookies are tasty too.

see link https://community.kelloggs.com/kelloggs/topics/are_right_bites_pretzels_discontinuee?page=1Keeblers has discontinued the Right Bites mini fudge dipped pretzels, but the Special K brand is the exact same product, just re-branded. So, do not waste your time looking for the Keebler brand like I did. :) Hope this helps. These cute little cookies have become a tradition for us-my son loves them! Thank you for this wonderful recipe and idea!

These have become my new favorite Christmas cookie for children! I made them for my granddaughter's kindergarten classroom party and I ROCKED IT as the MOST AWESOME Grandma at school! Some tips: I made my dough in the morning and let it chill til evening. I divided my dough into 36 equal balls. That gave the perfect size. Then I shaped each into an egg shape about 1/4" thick. Don't go thinner than that. Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. That way you can slide the paper and cookies off onto a cooling rack without digging at them with a spatula. Definitely don't over-bake or the surface will crack when you push the pretzels and M&Ms in. I used Rold Gold chocolate covered mini pretzels because that's all the store had. They were a little larger and fatter than I wanted (and way more expensive - 2 pricey little bags only yields enough for about 2 dozen cookies) but they worked well. I laid mine on flat and just gently pressed them down. Trying to get them pushed in at an angle didn't work at all. The key is to put the pretzels on FIRST just as soon as they come out of the oven, then they'll stick the best. Then do the M&Ms after. I bought a bag of Christmas M&Ms (all green and red) since they were readily available and I knew I would have plenty of red ones. I used regular size Nestle's chocolate chips for the eyes and they were perfect! I pushed them in pointy side down so the flat bottoms were up. Then I put the cooling racks out on my screened porch in the cold air to minimize melting of the chocolates (I realize not everyone has that option!) Thanks for sharing this recipe - these are definitely in my FOREVER file now!!!